Raphaël Parisella was traveling by train towards the Tour de l’Avenir when he received a call from Jérôme Pineau. The sports director of B&B Hotels, a team which had just competed in its second Tour de France, was interested in his services.
After some discussions with the coaches of the ProTeams team (second division), the 18-year-old got a contract offer by email. Flattered, the native of Boucherville still decided to take his time. Other teams were scrutinizing him, including the American Rally Pro Cycling, with whom he was preparing to do an internship to end the season.
After finding an agent, Parisella agreed to Pineau on the sidelines of the World Championships in Flanders last month. Thursday, B & B Hotels p / b KTM officially announced the arrival of the young Canadian with a funny pastiche of Captain America, in the spirit of the theme of superheroes adopted by the “Men in Glaz”, a reference to the name of the characteristic color of the sea in Brittany.
IMAGE FROM A PRESS RELEASE
The Canadian Raphaël Parisella, the new superhero of the B & B Hotels team, as presented in the press release announcing his hiring
In the press release, Captain Parisella and his “lumberjack physique” (1.85 m for 77 kg) are presented in glowing terms.
“Raphaël is a diamond to be polished and despite his young age, he was very much in demand at the end of the season,” said Pineau, 13 Tour de France participations to his credit as a rider. “He has a winning mentality and a lot of ambition. ”
It takes time to leave family and friends and settle in Vendée to cut teeth on the French amateur circuit at the start of the year.
“To be honest, I am surprised that it is a ProTeam and that it is a team of this caliber,” admitted Parisella de Boucherville, where he returned last week.
The objective by going to Europe was to find a contract with a continental team [troisième division] to have at least a small salary and cover my expenses. Riding a bike is cool, but parents don’t have an infinite bank account.
Raphael Parisella
Coming from the Boucherville Cyclist Club and the Vélo 2000 junior club, Parisella distinguished herself two years ago by winning the Canadian junior road title at the age of only 16, in Saint-Georges. Limited to five days of racing because of the pandemic, he chomped on the brakes last year.
He recovered well this year with Les Sables Vendée Cyclisme, an amateur second division (DN2) team with which he shone, signing 3 wins and recording 16 top 10.
” [B & B] has a school team in DN1, that’s a bit how I got noticed. At 18, I was super young, and walking like I did in the amateur ranks doesn’t happen that often. I quickly had good results, which opened the door to several things. I was then consistent, which proved that it did not happen once by chance. It interested a lot of teams, especially because I’m young. ”
PHOTO VINCENT DROUIN, PROVIDED BY CYCLING CANADA
Cyclist Raphaël Parisella in the time trial, in 2019
New life
Other than a few torn garbage bags and a clogged pipe, the adjustment to his new apartment life away from home went well. He was sharing a flat with three Quebec runner friends, Félix Robert, Lukas Carreau and Adèle Normand.
“I have always been relatively independent. I’ve had to do this before, have my space and manage my stuff. So it didn’t scare me. […] Adventures always happen, but we learned, we coped well with it. We never quarreled in eight or nine months together. It’s already a victory. ”
With her frame, Parisella is obviously not a climber of great passes. The pupil of Pascal Choquette, head coach of the Quebec team, sees himself as a future follower of classics.
We do not yet know what his specialty is, but he is good everywhere! He is quick to sprint, passes bumps well and has a predisposition for the time trial.
Jérôme Pineau, sports director of B&B Hotels
Parisella was one of only two members of the Canadian squad to complete the Tour de l’Avenir (75e), the toughest stage event reserved for under 23-year-olds in the world. At the Worlds in Flanders, “a crazy experience”, he had nearly 70 days of racing on the clock. He took the 32e rank in the time trial and the 76e on the road on his first try in the Under 23 category.
“I was in good shape, but I didn’t have the freshness on hard races like that. I didn’t want to fight up front as much as I did at the start of the season. I found myself less well placed and I was paying the price. ”
PHOTO BART HAZEN, PROVIDED BY CYCLING CANADA
Raphael Parisella at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Yorkshire
His season ended abruptly on October 8 with a fall at the end of the second stage of the Circuit des Ardennes international, where he wore the colors of the Quebec team.
Rally Cycling, where Nickolas Zukowsy and Pier-André Côté evolve, made him a “good offer”, but Parisella was charmed by what B & B offered her. His visit to the race department of the Breton team, where he discovered “A family atmosphere and climate” convinced him that he had made the right choice.
“After that, it was a question of culture, mentality and timing which suited me less well. I really have to look at the races they offer, the whole structure, to know which team can help me and give me the tools to develop myself. ”
At a time when young people are popular in the peloton, the one who turned 19 on Saturday already allows himself to dream of the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix.
“If I’m having a really good season, it’s realistic. I’ll give myself time to arrive. We are still in November, I am in full cut, these are not precise objectives. You see your team doing it [le Tour], you know it’s realistic. But the circumstances have to be right and there are plenty of variables at play. ”
With a normal two-year neo-pro contract in hand, Parisella wants to go “one thing at a time, one race at a time”.
In line with what his new boss, Jérôme Pineau, thinks: “We will take the time it takes to see what Raphaël needs and what type of rider he can become. His recruitment is a long-term bet and, given his qualities, we could not miss such talent. ”